Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/51

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3* THE HISTORY Book I. its pofition on the northern bank of a river, and by its gentle declivity to the fouth or its collateral points, would give the Romans the whole undiminished reflected warmth of our Bri- tifh funs *. On thefe united, reafbns Agricola muft have firft lodged a gar- rifon in Mancenion, in order to fecure the new-taken fortrefe and to awe the neighbouring Britons from it, while he ad- vanced into the center of the county with the reft of his forces* On thefe united reafbns Agricola muft have afterwards com- manded a regular ftation to be conftru&ed upon the Britifh Man* cenion, when the fuccefsful campaign was terminated, and the Siftuntii and their allies fubdued. The Roman garrifon of Mancenion muft have begun the con- struction of their ftation dn the autumn of 79. The compafs of

  • he intended fort being marked out by the metator, the fol-

diers allotted to the bufinefs muft have left their fliields and tfieir knapfacks in the center of the area and in circles about their refpe&ive ftandards, and have repaired in centuries to the jpofts which the praefe&us affigned. And the reft of the garrifoa muft have been ftationed at the extremities -of the field, to de- fend the labourers and themfelves *• . . Adopting the Britiih mode of building without the Britifh tteceffity. for it, the Romans founded their vallum as the Britons Jiad previoufly founded their hovels, upon paving-ftones bedded in the primitive cement of clay. This I difeerned on making iuci- fions into the ftationary wall in two different parts of it. I cut down the wail from the jfor face to the center and from the cen-

  • er to the bafe, in order <to fee the curious conftru&iom of it

within and below.; and I found all the lime-laid parts of the wall in both riling from two courfes of paving-ftones cemented with clay. And the fame extraordinary procefs in building has been dif covered in other walls of the Romans. At the Roman town -of Boroughfield on the Fofle in Leicefterfhire, have been di£ covered the foundations of walls that were ftones fet edgewiffe in clay, and that had had a ftrudture of lime-mortar upon them. j&Jt the Roman ftation of Aldborough in Yorkfhire, the walls of the